YEMEN: UN Human Rights Council fails to create an International commission of inquiry
The UN Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution to create a commission of inquiry lead by the former President of Yemen in exile Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi to probe international war crimes in the country. The initiative has been criticised by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who claim that the commission should be international, considering the Yemeni government has failed to investigate the crimes committed since 2011. AI Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, James Lynch, noted that the adopted resolution was drafted by Saudi Arabia, which is leading the military coalition that is conducting strikes on the country, and is allegedly responsible for war crimes itself. The resolution does not mention, therefore, the international coalition of forces attacking Yemen. In September 2015 several UN human rights bodies such as the UN high Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect urged for the creation of an international mechanism of inquiry. HRW has denounced that the US applies a double standard. It strongly backs international commissions of inquiry for Syria, North Korea, Libya, Sri Lanka, and Eritrea, but does not support commissions to investigate crimes were Saudi Arabia may be involved. More than 5,600 people, including 2,300 civilians, have been killed and nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced during the Yemeni armed conflict (2011 to present). The international coalition forces are considered responsible of two thirds of the civilian deaths and have also used banned cluster munitions, which have been found to be produced or designed in the United States. (AI, HRW, 02/10/15; Jurist, 04/10/15; BBC, 27/10/15)